Spirited Away with Author Sachiko Kashiwaba
Join us in celebrating The Village Beyond the Mist, the novel that inspired Spirited Away, with author Sachiko Kashiwaba and translator Avery Fischer Udagawa in conversation with WBUR's Kalyani Saxena. The talk will be followed by a screening of Spirited Away.
Ticket options include general admission OR general admission and a copy of The Village Beyond the Mist. Additional copies will be available for sale from Brookline Booksmith.
ABOUT SPIRITED AWAY
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away transports you to a strange world of spirits, sorceresses, and dragons, as one ten-year-old girl must use her cunning and determination to return to the real world.
ABOUT VILLAGE BEYOND THE MIST
A mountain town that’s not on any map, a messy bookstore with infinite doors, and a spoiled prince under a forgetful wizard’s curse . . . this summer might hold more than Lina bargained for! When a gust of wind carries off her umbrella, it leads Lina down a secret path between the trees to a strange and incredible world. In the hidden village of Misty Valley, centaurs roam the cobblestone streets and gnomes visit shops stuffed with spellbooks and enchanted desserts. All magic has a dark side, though, and sometimes even sorcerers need a human’s helping hand.
Now, fifty years after its debut in Japan, Sachiko Kashiwaba’s acclaimed novel is available in English and certain to delight readers of all ages.
About Sachiko Kashiwaba
Author Sachiko Kashiwaba is a prolific writer of children’s and young adult fantasy whose career spans more than four decades. Her works have garnered the prestigious Sankei, Shogakukan, and Noma children’s literature awards, and her novel The Village Beyond the Mist inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away. Her works have recently been animated as the films The Wonderland and The House of the Lost on the Cape, and her novel Temple Alley Summer, illustrated by Miho Satake and translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, won the American Library Association’s 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. She lives in Morioka, Iwate.
About Avery Fischer Udagawa
Translator Avery Fischer Udagawa grew up in Kansas and studied English and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She holds an MA in advanced Japanese studies from the University of Sheffield. She has studied at Nanzan University, Nagoya, on a Fulbright fellowship, and at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama. She writes, translates, and works in international education near Bangkok, where she lives with her bicultural family.
About Kalyani Saxena
Kalyani Saxena is an associate producer for Here & Now. She previously interned for Here & Now during the fall of 2019, where she produced the top story of the week as well as other trending segments. She went on to produce and report for NPR — first as the intern for the Washington Desk during the 2020 election and then as a news assistant for Weekend All Things Considered. As a producer, Kalyani is interested in exploring not just what our society thinks about race and culture but also how we came to think that way in the first place. She began her audio career hosting and producing a podcast about politics, race and minority history.
Please note: This special screening in collaboration with the Brookline Booksmith will not have Coolidge Member pricing.
